Fire wall



May 28, 1935. M, LIPTAK 2,002,820

` FIRE WALL Filed Jan. 1o, 1931l 2 sheets-sheet 1 /Vl'` A El. /P TA l( By /4 l M A Trae/Ya YS May 28, 1935. M, lPTAK 2,002,820

FIRE WALL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 AFiled Jan. l0, 1931 /N VE/V TOE MIC AE L PT l( 5y /M Patented May 28, 1935 fuma fsms PATENT i 1frf *if accidentally n V Michael Liptak, St. Paul, Minn. f Applicatin January `1o, 1931seria1 Nm 507,845

e claims, (o1. 712-101) "I'his-inventionrelates to. improvements in iire.`

walls, and is particularly concerned`with means for 'connecting replaceable facings of such walls, insuch .manner that the connecting means, as wellg-as the wall orbrick elements of the facing or replaceable Wall, can be replaced or repaired without` disturbing any portion ofthe permanent wall. Among. the` objects are to-provide Wall elements adapted to receive metal connectors, the connectors and wall elements `or bricks being so constructed that the vconnectors may be dropped into position as the Wallis built, and

when so dropped automatically assume such relation as Will prevent separation'of the Wall but will .permit limited motions of the replaceable wall `(due to expansion and contraction by heat) lengthwise, transversely and vertically. Another object is to provide connectors having abutments cooperable with the wall or Walls in.` such manner that each connector can :onlybe-disengaged after rotative motion, and therefore Acannot become disengaged, as the result of expansion movements of the wall` or Walls.

, .The important ideas of means of the present invention are: the arrangement whereby the connectors can 'be removed from the permanent Wall without `dismantling the` Wall; the use ofconnecting :means which cannot possibly be accidentally disengaged by expansion motion of the wall or walls; the use of a shouldered socket' in which the shoulder extends clear to the top 'of the block (or is `of Vsuiicient height)A `soy that no vertical motion of the Walls cantip any connector and cause it to be disengaged. from its shouldered socket, but so that the connector can move vertically confo-rmably `to replaceable VWa`,l1.`mo tions under action of heat; the formation ofthe replaceable wall substantially entirely by' elements arranged as headers; the production of shouldered sockets by` means of two complementalfbricks `of a configuration whichlends itself tomachine production,'all bricks being identically similarf and the formation of shoulderproviding sockets toallow lateral motions of the connectors conformably to longitudinal expansion motions of the replaceable wall.` v 1 Features include all details of construction, as Wellfas'the broader ideas of means-disclosed.

Features and advantages Will be` pointed out the description l of ,thedrawings Yforming a part of this application; and in said drawings,

" Figure 1 is a' sectionalperspective view illustrating a hollow iire wall constructed in accordance with theteachi'ngspf `this invention, and using 1two-piece, ,4 shoulder-providing elements;

, Figure 2 is a sectional perspective view illustrating a solid fire wall constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention, and using one-piece, shoulder-providing elements; Figure 3 is a plan View illustrating the important feature of this invention, to-wit: the dropin connector, and its relation to the shoulderproviding wall elements; Figure 4 is a vertical section showing the connector ready to be been rotated throughan angle of 90 position shown in Figure 3 to disengage ments from the socket shoulders; and Figure 5 is a plan view of a modification. l 'I'he present device structed of permanent and replaceable portions, each having bricks therein providing shoulders, and connectors are provided having abutments engaging shoulders of corresponding Wall elefrom its its abutwithdrawn, and after having' MlA provides a re wall conl5 ments in a manner to prevent transverse separareplaceable Wall or facing or lining.` The .per-

marient wall in this instance is formed from common brick 3,. laid asV stretchers, and .with courses of fire brick laid as'headers and including elements` 4 and pairs of bricks indicated at.v 5. Courses of elements 4 ferent levels` as shown, and the elements 5 pro-1 vide shouldered sockets, in this instance, T-shaped in plan View. The shoulders extend the ,'full height orthiekness of the blocks,and the stretcher courses above and below cap or T-shaped or shouldered sockets. Elements:5 are arranged in pairs as shown in Figure 1, and each` is notched at one corner as shown, andthe notches are opposed to provide a shouldered sockand 5 are providedfatdif- 30;

the vertical slots ,35:

et,.in this instance T-shaped,l providing a throat 40.

8, opening onthe vertical side, and.` leading inwardly to a, cross passage 9, which is-wider than the throat, and extends therebeyond to `form shoulders l2. TheV throat extends in a direction whichcorresponds to the transverse dimension of the Wall. The throat 8 is preferably dared. outwardly as at I3.. All blocks, whether' of the solid type shown: in Figure 3 or of the sectional type shown in Figure 1, are identical and are reversible,

and this is an important feature of the invention.

ner notching can jbe accomplished by machine 56- downward motion of moulding, while the whole block must be hand moulded. The machine-made brick is of a quality Isuperior to the hand-made brick, in that the brick is less likely to sprawl, and the half bricks can be handled with one hand, and, therefore, the Wall can be constructed more rapidly.

Whether the shoulder-providing elements are one or two-piece in construction, a shoulder is provided with which one of the abutments of a connector can be engaged to resist separation of the walls with which the device is associated. In this instance the connectors are I-shaped, and include abutments I6, one at each end of shank I1. The depth C of the shoulders and socket isv in all instances greater than the length E of the abutment, so that on turning the I-shaped connector through an angle of 90 from its horizontal flat position shown in Figure 3, the connector can be withdrawn from the socket in direction of the arrow F. This withdrawal can, therefore, be made without dismantling any portion of the permanent wall I, and can only be made after a rotative motion suicient to disengage the 'abutment' IB'from the shoulder I2.

vElements 5 and/or 20 are also arranged in the replaceable wall.2 in substantially the same manner as-the arrangement in permanent wall I, see Figures 1 and 2. Between the courses of elements 5 and 20 are laid courses Vof header elementsl. The abutments I6 of the connectors respectively engage corresponding shouldered sockets in the walls, to secure the replaceable wall to the permanent wall.

The flared throat 8 permits some play of the shank I1k in the throat conformably to expansion motions of the replaceable wall lengthwise. It willA be noted that theshoulder does not extend from the top face of the block to the bottom of the socket, in the construction shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, but that this shoulder does extend the full height or thickness of the block in the construction shown in Figure 1. The point is that the replaceable wall is al.- lowed to some extent with no possibility of the connector becoming disengaged. In other words, it can move in a vertical plane, but can only be disengaged when turned through substantially an angle of 90.

v Referring now more particularly tor the arrangement o the shoulder-providing elements in the walls: It will be noted that the shoulder blocks are separated by pairs of key or spacing bricks. In the form shown in Figure 1, wherein two bricks are employed and arranged in complemental relation to provide the shouldered socket, the two interposed key bricks act not only to prevent separation of the socket-forming bricks, but at the same time when it is desired to dismantle the wall, these bricks can be removed and when so removed release one or more of the complemental socket-forming elements, so that they may be moved laterally away from the abutment I6. When the key bricks of Figure 2 are removed, the'socket-forming elements are also conditioned to be removed, but in this case to remove the socket-forming element 2li, it must be raised or lowered to disengage itl from the abutment of the connector. The'construction of Figure 1, therefore, hasthe advantage of disconnection of the socket-forming bricks from the lconnectors by horizontal rather than vertical motion. In all instances, the socket-forming elements are, for their particular types, identical so that they may be used in either wa-ll. This is an important feature because all bricks have thev same form, and

are reversible. In the construction of Figure 2, of course, the bricks must be laid so as to have their sockets facing upwardly, because in this instance the socket does not extend entirely through the brick. However, in the form shown in Figure 1, the socket extends clear through the brick, or the shoulder and socket-forming notches in the bricks, extend the full height or thickness of the brick. Of course, the sockets of bricks 20 could extend all the way through.

In Figure 2, those vertical faces of the sockets and shoulder-providing elements, which are flush with that surface of the replaceable wall which is exposed to the heat, have been stippled to more clearly indicate their positions. In Figure 1, the same surfaces of the complemental pairs of socket-forming bricks have been similarly stippled.

Another feature of the invention is that both the permanent and replaceable walls are built from standard brick, or from brick all of the same dimensions, and particularly of the same vertical thickness. The dimensions of the standard brick are 21/2 .x Ll1/2 x 9l inches. Another feature is that lthe permanent vwall is constructed by bricks, all of which are standard size, some of which may be common vbrick and others refractory brick. It is true that in both forms of the invention the socket-forming bricks are special bricks, but the vvertical thickness is the same as the other bricks in the wall, and the dimensions are standard, so that the bricklayer has to make no calculations other than the ordinary calculations in building the wall. In other words, he does not, as in my copending application for Fire walls, Serial Number 396,184, have to lay bricks in a special manner because of the increased thickness of the special-dimensioned elements indicated in the drawing of that case by the numeral'3. c

Another feature of the invention is illustrated in Figure 5. Thispractice has materially reduced the amount of special brick. I use half bricks 5ab laid as shown and each provided with an L- shaped socket. These bricks are identical with the bricks 5. Each provides a shoulder I2a, and the L-shaped sockets are closed on one sideby common or lire brick 25, the opposite sides of which bricks also function to close or complete the sockets in the next pair of bricks 5a. By this means, only one-half as many `bricks 5fL are necessary. The connectors I'Ia-in this case are not I-shaped but half-I-shaped in plan. In this case, also, the connectors can be removed after rotation, without dismantling the permanent wall. The wall sections Ia, 2a, can be spaced as in Figure 1, or be abutted as in Figure 2.

Another feature of the invention is that by the practice of this invention, the permanent wall can be partly built of standard common brick, as distinguished from standard nre brick, and this brick can be laid in mortar and then the replaceable wall can be built of standard fire brick laid in re clay cement. This re clay cement is applied in very thin layers, as distinguished from the very much thicker layers of mortar used with common brick. In the drawings, this layer of re clay cement has not been shown because, as a matter of fact, it is somewhat lm-like.

It is again to be noted, and this is a feature, that only one type of special brick is required for providing the shouldered socket. Nevertheless, there is no intention to be limited to a special brick because it is conceivable that fire brick can be so laid as to provide .a shouldered socket with which a connector can be engaged, first by inserting and then by rotating. Both walls can be built by using only special bricks or only by using special bricks 5, the latter brick being onehalf the size of the former. It is again to be noted that the special bricks 20 and 5 are al1 of the saine thickness, and they are of the same thickness as the other iire brick, that is the thickness of a standard iire brick which is two and one-half inches.

I claim as my invention:

1. Permanent and replaceable walls each having bricks arranged therein to provide sockets having shoulders which extend longitudinally of the wall, and connectors having abutments engaging corresponding shoulders of the Wall in a manner to prevent transverse separation, the sockets, shoulders and abutments being so related that the abutments can be released from the shoulders only after a rotative movement of the connectors to permit free withdrawal of the connectors from the permanent Wall, the sockets being faced upwardly so that the connectors can be dropped into connecting position as the wall is built, and said connectors being held in operative position by the action of gravity.

2. A wall having permanent and replaceable portions, bricks in both walls some bricks of which provide horizontal sockets and shoulders, connectors arranged in the sockets and having abutments engaged with the corresponding shoulders to prevent transverse motion of the bricks, saidsockets, shoulders and abutments being so formed that the connectorscan be rotated and can, after rotative motion, have their abutments disengaged from the shoulders and can be withdrawn from the sockets without dismantling any portion of the wall, some of the sockets and shoulders being formed by two complementa] bricks.

3. Permanent and replaceable walls each having bricks providing shoulders, and connectors having abutments engaging corresponding shoulders of the walls in a manner to prevent transverse separation of the walls, the shoulders being of sunicient vertical height to permit Vertical motions of the connectors, as the replaceable wall correspondingly moves under the action of heat, and the shoulders and abutments of the permanent wall being so related that the connectors can be rotated and can, after rotative motion, befreely withdrawn, said sockets being formed to allow lateral motions of the connectors conformably to longitudinal expansion motions of the replaceable wall.

4. In a nre wall structure, permanent and replaceable walls, the permanent wall having shoulders extending longitudinally thereof, connectors having means engaging the shoulders in a manner to normally prevent transverse withdrawal of the connectors from the wall, and said connectors being anchored in the replaceable wall, the shoulders and shoulder-engaging means being so `related that the connectors can be rotated, and

can only after a predetermined degree of rotative motion be released for withdrawal in a horizontal direction without dismantling any portion of the permanent wall.

5. A permanent wall comprising bricks having` vertical T-shaped sockets therein which open on the inner side of the wall, horizontal connectors having T-shaped terminals each connector comprising a head and shank, the heads being abuttingly engaged in corresponding T-shaped sockets in a manner to prevent horizontal withdrawal from the sockets when the long axes of the heads are substantially horizontally disposed, the depths of the sockets and the lengths of the heads being such that any connector can be rotated to dispose the long axes of its head in substantially vertical position, Whereafter said connectors can be withdrawn from the socket, and a replaceable wall of re brick with which the opposite ends of the connectors are engaged in a manner to prevent separation of said replaceable Wall from said permanent Wall.

6. A permanent wall and a replaceable wall each comprising bricks, each of some of the bricks having a vertical T-shaped socket therein opening at the top and at the inner side of the brick, I-shaped horizontal connectors each comprising a shank and a head, the heads being abuttingly engaged with the corresponding T-shaped sockets to prevent horizontal withdrawal and transverse separation of the walls when the long axes of the heads are horizontally disposed, the depth ofv the sockets and the lengths of the heads being such that the connectors can be rotated to dispose the long axes in a vertical direction, whereafter the connectors can be withdrawn.

7. A Wall having permanent and replaceable portions, bricks in both walls some of which provide sockets and shoulders into which connectors can be dropped during building of the wall, connectors arranged in the sockets and having abutments engaged with corresponding shoulders to prevent transverse motion of the bricks of the replaceable Wall, each socket and its shoulder being formed by parts of two bricks, which are disposed in the same horizontal plane.

S. In a brick fire Wall structure, a permanent wall, a replaceable wall, links connecting certain corresponding bricks of respective walls to prevent transverse separation, and plural means provided respectively by said permanent wall and links cooperative to permit rotation of any link in the permanent Wall, and only after a. predetermined degree of rotation to permit horizontal withdrawal of any link without dismantling any portion of the permanent wall.

9. A permanent wall comprising bricks having sockets therein which open on the inner side of the wall, horizontal connectors, each connector comprising a head and a shank, the heads being abuttingly engaged in corresponding sockets in a manner to prevent horizontal withdrawal from the sockets when the heads are in their normal position, the dimensions of the sockets and heads being such that any connector can be rotated to disengage its head from its shoulder, whereafter the connector can be withdrawn from the socket in a horizontal direction, and a replaceable' Wall of re brick with which the opposite ends of the connectors are engaged in a manner to prevent separation of the replaceable wall from the permanent wall.

MICHAEL LIPTAK. 

